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Resonate with the high-rise architect community
Tall Architects’ bet on Ocean Springs (population 18,000) is a good bet. As the only firm in the area practicing progressive architecture, they were surprised by the warm and curious reception they received and how quickly they were able to integrate themselves into the arts community. “Where we got stuck – and we were unprepared, and we should have been – was the poor state of the country and insufficient budgets. But that forced us to be scrappy in terms of materials, form and construction techniques,” Madison said. The creative use of readily available materials also resonated with the community. They convey accessibility, familiarity and respect for Ocean Springs’ local language.
Afterwards, the Tallys eagerly moved out of their Airstream (“three years and six days later,” Mark says) and in 2018 designed and built their current home, the Tall House, where they live with their son. The house’s two elevated 10-by-24-foot metal-clad volumes are connected by a deck that could be moved from its rural site if they chose a more urban experience. Tall House was the company’s laboratory, and other local and regional schemes soon followed to critical acclaim.
environmentally resilient design
Even 18 years after Hurricane Katrina, every conversation Tall Architects has with a potential client begins with an audit of what happened to the property during the storm, which made landfall 20 minutes from their offices. The epic scars left by Hurricane Katrina still mark the landscape and determine how architects practice now and in the future. For example, the Rayburn House, currently under construction, is a 3,080-square-foot home for a local museum director and his family, rising 8 feet from the ground. The all-white house had to pass muster with the local Historic Preservation Commission and pays homage to Southern Gothic style with a gabled roof. The client also loved the house from Tim Burton’s film Beetlejuice, so Mark and Madison conceived an irregular geometric window pattern that was reminiscent of the film’s surreal, postmodernist set. White cement panels are reminiscent of Mondrian, creating a patchwork look from a distance. “Most of our projects are elevated,” Madison said. “This brings a completely different style of architecture. It’s an interesting challenge – you don’t want to just put a building in the air.” Mark added that the company also didn’t want to build cartoon fortresses.
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